Happily Ever After
by Rachel500
Summary: Jack and Sam celebrate Valentine's day.


Stargate SG1 is somebody else's, probably MGM/Gekko Corp/Sci-fi, and I freely admit that whoever's it is, I'm borrowing their show and they retain all rights, etc

**Author's Note:** Sam/Jack Established. Written for the Gateworld Valenship day. Set post Ark of Truth. Minor spoilers for SG1. This can be read stand alone or as the third story to the previous Valenship fics, Distance and Plan B. You can find the others under my profile. Warning of adult themes. I possibly should also warn for overdosing on sugar but I think the title kind of gives that away. Hope you enjoy!

**Happily Ever After**

There was nothing quite like waking up in bed with Jack O'Neill.

Samantha Carter smiled as she muzzily registered the warmth of him curled up beside her; his arm looped over her waist; his hand possessively covering her right rib-cage, fingers splayed warmly over her naked skin. She felt his breath by her shoulder, the soft expel of air washing over her.

She loved waking up with Jack, Sam thought, remaining still as her eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of early morning before the sun's rays would warm the grey with gold. She relished the feeling of being with him. They so rarely got to wake up together. Their romantic relationship had always been long distance; it was the price they paid to be together at all given they were both inextricably linked with the Stargate programme. He was no longer in her direct chain of command though, hadn't been since the moment they'd both decided to pursue being together, and their recent – very recent – marriage, would give them and the Air Force better room to manoeuvre in respects to the fraternisation regulations that had kept them apart for so long.

She lifted her left hand and stared in disbelief at the simple ring of gold adorning her finger.

Married.

She and Jack were married.

Had been married for five days.

Jack had proposed on their second Valentine's Day together the year before. He'd left the simple words 'marry me' in his card to her and she had handed him the card back with her reply 'yes'. They had debated marrying on Valentine's but Jack had deemed it too cliché and Sam had had to agree with him. It had been Daniel Jackson's idea for the couple to marry on the tenth anniversary of their first meeting, February 9th.

Sam bit her lip. She had been a little worried with the trip to the Ori galaxy for the Ark at the start of the year whether she was going to make it to the wedding but the mission had been a success and it had suddenly all seemed fancifully like destiny; the galaxy was safe and she got to marry Jack, got to have her happy ending.

Her lips curved smugly as she remembered the simple ceremony in front of the Justice of the Peace; only their family and close friends in attendance. They hadn't wanted anything flashy. It had been a wonderful day. General Hammond had given her away in her father's absence; her brother, Mark, had been content to serve as one of the witnesses as it allowed him to be with his wife and children. Cassie Fraiser and Vala had been bridesmaids; Daniel Jackson and Teal'c had stood beside Jack. Cameron Mitchell had managed to get there despite still recovering from his injuries and he had been joined by General Landry and his daughter, Carolyn. There had been nobody else. Her heart ached a little for those absent; her parents, Janet Fraiser, and Jonas Quinn. They had been unable to make contact with Langara even with the Ori gone.

She shook away the melancholy thoughts and let herself remember the joy of her wedding day. The ceremony with the exchange of vows and rings had been followed by an informal party hosted at Daniel's before she and Jack had left for the cabin. Happiness filled her head to toe and her smile became a full grin as she slid her hands over his. They really hadn't done very much but enjoy their honeymoon since they'd arrived.

It was their third Valentine's Day together, Sam mused, closing her eyes. She figured neither of them had much of a plan for it beyond what they'd already spent their days doing; making love, enjoying the time together.

She suspected that Jack would insist on their usual meal of jello and beer which he had surprised her with on an impromptu picnic their first Valentine's. She was sentimental enough to like the idea of a tradition between them. She grinned as she remembered they'd actually eaten their last Valentine's Day jello in bed during the early hours of February 15th celebrating their engagement.

Of course the other tradition they'd begun the first year was exchanging only one card. Sam had sent Jack's to Washington with a simple message of 'I love you'. He'd arrived unexpectedly back in Colorado Springs and handed her the card back with his own reply of 'I love you too' scrawled underneath hers. When she'd seen his marriage proposal in her card the year before it had seemed the right thing to do to answer him in the same card.

Sam bit her lip. She'd bought her card before the wedding, written her message and sealed it in its envelope before hiding it in her luggage. She knew Jack hadn't seen it so there was no way they would be able to repeat the previous years' 'one card' deal. She could admit that she was a little disappointed but she was looking forward to surprising him with the card. She had no idea if Jack had bought her one or had even remembered about Valentine's day given the wedding.

Jack shifted suddenly; his hand tightening around her; his lips pressed a kiss to the curve of her bare shoulder.

'Sorry.' Sam whispered, a little breathless as her body responded to both touches. 'I didn't mean to wake you.'

His lips landed on her neck and Sam angled her head to give him better access.

'We could go back to sleep.' Sam teased even as she wriggled against him.

'How about we go with plan B?' Jack suggested.

She had a moment to appreciate his ruffled hair and the way his dark eyes glittered in the shadowy light before his lips captured hers, and a moment later, she lost interest in talking, in thinking, in anything but the feel of his skin on hers.

Yep.

Waking up with Jack O'Neill was the best thing ever in Sam's opinion.

o-O-o

Jack kept his hands over Sam's eyes and led her gently towards the patch of floor in front of the den fire-place. He'd originally planned to recreate their Valentine's picnic outside but it was too cold and he'd settled for plan B: an indoor picnic in front of a log fire. The fire was burning briskly, the crack and pop of wood smothered by the classical music playing in the background. He could feel the heat of it through his khaki pants as he stopped Sam in the middle of the picnic blanket.

'Can I look now?' Sam protested.

'Patience, Carter.' Jack said, nudging her with his own body so she would be faced in the right direction to see the lunch he'd prepared for them. He'd told her he would take care of it while she relaxed in a bubble bath after their late start to the day. He smirked as he remembered exactly why they'd been so late getting up.

'Jack!' Sam laughed.

'OK.' He obligingly dropped his hands and settled them on her shoulders, rubbing them absently through the cotton of the checked shirt she wore. It was his but he really wasn't complaining. He liked her in his clothes.

'A picnic?' Sam said. She gazed for a moment at the blanket that he'd laid out over the hearth rug; the small basket with its contents of jello and beer.

Jack kissed the top of her head. 'Surprise.' He said lightly.

She turned, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. For a second, Jack was tempted just to ignore lunch completely and head back to the bedroom.

Sam pulled away, dropped another kiss on his lips before she darted out of his hold. 'I'll be right back.' She promised.

Jack made a moue of protest but he enjoyed the view as she hurried away; Sam filled out her denim jeans very nicely. He sank down to sit on the blanket with a wince. His knees were just not what they used to be, he thought ruefully. He leaned back against the sofa and stretched out his legs. His eyes caught on a flash of light as the firelight hit the gold metal on his left finger. He brushed it with his thumb, aware that he was grinning inanely.

He was married to Samantha Carter. He shook his head almost in disbelief. He wasn't going to question his luck. He reached for the beer and opened one bottle, taking a conservative sip. His head turned automatically at the sound of her footsteps and he hid his smile by taking another sip of the beer as she surreptitiously tried to slide the object she held under the sofa cushion.

Jack lowered the bottle; placing it on the wooden floor just beyond the picnic blanket. He opened a second bottle for his wife and handed her the cup of blue jello. He picked up his own of red and they made quick work of the snacks.

He grinned as Sam snuggled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder, her closest hand holding his.

'This is great.' Sam said.

'Yep.' Jack squeezed her hand.

Sam shifted again and, with something of an apologetic smile, reached under the cushions. 'Happy Valentine's.' She stretched out a hand holding a pink envelope.

Jack plucked it from her grasp and glanced at it, hiding his own glee at what he knew was going to happen next. 'You got me a card?'

'It's OK if you didn't get me one.' Sam assured him lightly. She settled beside him again with a grin. 'I know it's been chaos with the wedding and everything.'

'Oh,' Jack said archly, 'but I did get you a card, Carter.' He tapped the envelope against his thigh and handed it back to her. 'You should open it.'

Sam stared at him as she took the envelope. 'There's no way,' she began.

Jack smirked. He knew she knew she had sealed it up and hidden it away. She had probably expected that they would exchange cards instead of writing in the same one the way they had done on their previous Valentine's holidays together. He reached out and pushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear. 'So open it and find out.'

She hesitated for a moment but she shot him another look of disbelief and shrugged her shoulders. She examined the envelope first as though looking for evidence of tampering. Jack was certain he'd been careful enough to seal it back up without damage when he'd finally found where she had hidden it away. He had never been so grateful for his Special Ops training but he'd had a couple of heart-attack inducing moments when it had looked as though Sam would wake up before he could write his message, seal the card back up and replace it. She was a soldier after all used to being alert to danger; it said something about how much she trusted him that she had slept through his sneaking about. He had brought another card with him – just in case – but he liked that they'd both written in the same card for the past two years and he wanted to continue it.

Sam bit her lip and finally slid a finger under the envelope flap, using it to tear open the paper in a straight line. She was so precise.

Jack took a gulp of beer as he saw glanced at the card that she had bought; a small, reasonably sized card that had two aliens sitting beside a moon crater. He had smiled when he'd seen it. The message inside could have been written for them, he mused; "wherever I am, I'm always with you". He was sure that was why Sam had picked it out.

Their relationship was long distance and while he had hopes that it wouldn't always be that way, he knew it was the price they paid to be together and remain in the Air Force, serving their country and their world. He could live with it. Just. They loved each other and they were together. The rest was a bonus.

He couldn't quite stop the pang though at the knowledge that Sam was due to travel to the Mid-way station of the Carter-McKay Intergalactic bridge to oversee completion as soon as she returned to duty. Maybe, he mused, he should consider retirement again with the Ori threat over. He wanted to spend time with his new wife and he was only too aware that she'd had a couple of close calls the past year. He shoved that thought away before he could dwell on it.

Jack tipped the beer bottle back and drank deeply before he set it aside. He wasn't thinking about it, he determined. They had a whole month together and he intended to enjoy every moment of it. His breath caught as Sam finally opened the card.

He knew what was written on the top of the card; '_I love you. Always, your wife, Sam x'_

Jack reached out and tangled the fingers of one of her hands with one of his as he watched her read what he had written below.

'_I love you too. Always, your husband, Jack x'_

She met his gaze with bright eyes. 'This is perfect.'

'You don't mind me stealing your card?' Jack questioned lightly.

Sam leaned over and kissed him softly. 'That answer your question?'

Jack plucked the card from her fingers and placed it on the sofa, out of the way. He tugged her closer and kissed her again. There was another tradition he was looking forward to enacting, Jack mused happily as Sam's hands slipped beneath his t-shirt and his happily divested her of her shirt.

They were on honeymoon, after all.


End file.
